If you want top end audio and video on your smartphone, the HTC U12+ could be the one for you. Here is everything you need to know.

The U12+ is a huge phone with excellent niche features for the smartphone enthusiast

HTC has announced the HTC U12+, its sole high-end flagship smartphone for 2018. There is no regular U12, and the ‘Plus’ moniker is there to imply this is the best phone HTC has done. It may well be.

With dual cameras on the back and the front, it’s a phone without a notch that packs in excellent video and audio recording capabilities. Arriving in three eye-catching colours, HTC hopes it can finally be part of the mainstream Android phone conversation again.

But when its phones are this niche – and this chunky, frankly – it may struggle to sell.

Here’s all the information you need on the HTC U12+. Check out our hands-on review, too.

Where to buy the HTC U12+

What are the features and specs of the HTC U12+?

Like many 2018 phones the HTC U12+ is a phone with a tall display and dual cameras, but it doesn’t have a notch. In fact, the top bezel houses dual cameras too, meaning you can take portrait selfies.

The display is an 18:9 6in Quad HD LCD, with the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone. The rear is also glass, and is particularly eye catching in either black, red or see-through blue. The latter is pretty unique in the smartphone world alongside the U11 Plus from last year.

You can squeeze the U12 Plus too, just like the U11, as well as tapping and holding the sides to perform different functions. HTC says it’s deeply customisable right down to specific actions within specific apps, so if you like granular customisation, this could be the phone for you.

Here are the headline specs of the HTC U12+:

Android 8.0 Oreo

6in Quad HD LCD

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

6GB RAM

12Mp main + 16Mp telephoto dual cameras, 4K video at 60fps

OIS/EIS

8Mp dual front cameras

802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi

Bluetooth 5.0

4G LTE

GPS

NFC

3500mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 or 4.0

IP68 water resistant

156.6x73.9x8.7-9.7mm

188g

It’s a heavy, chunky phone given the dimensions and weight here, but there’s no doubt HTC packs a lot in with Edge Sense, four cameras and more.

The cameras are notable by their number but also function. The rear dual cameras can track and zoom on an object automatically, while four mics work to hone in on the audio of that object and block out other noise.

This may be a niche use, but if smartphone video is up your street, the U12 Plus could be a revelation.

On their own, both sets of cameras give you portrait mode and zoom, and the main sensor has a respectable f/1.7 aperture. The single shooter on the HTC U11 was nearly as good as 2017’s Google Pixel at still shots, so we have high hopes for the U12 Plus.

Recording video at 4K at 60fps is here, along with a no-limit 240fps slo-mo complete a pretty complete package.

Annoyingly, there’s no headphone jack, but hey, it’s 2018. HTC puts a 3.5mm dongle in the box as well as its above-average USonic ear buds. The familiar Boomsound branding is present for the dual speakers too, but phone speakers are still only good enough for podcasts, not parties.

HTC also claims the Oreo-toting U12 Plus will get an upgrade to Android P, but didn't state when. This will also be dependent on your region and operator.

The U12 Plus is a full package, but will it be enough to tempt everyday Android users back to HTC?